Australian Fashion Week makeup how to: BEC + BRIDGE x MECCA

On Tuesday, May 16th models swaggered down the runway for Australian label BEC + BRIDGE to the blaring thrum of Janet Jackson’s ‘Throb’, Prince’s ‘Hot Thing’, and Crystal Waters’ ‘100% Pure Love’. The music set the scene for a collection that takes the tenets of late ‘80s and early ‘90s nostalgia and reimagines them through a modern lens.
Designers Bec Cooper and Bridget Yorston remain highly influenced by that time period. As fashion obsessed teens, they would raid their mothers’ closets, mixing and matching with careless abandon: clam diggers and candy-coloured lace, structured suit jackets and bubble hemmed skirts. As they came of age, Cooper and Yorston were immersed in the understated sex appeal of ‘90s minimalism, and the effortlessness of grunge.

The ‘Hot Thing’ collection referenced all this and more, with conservative pencil skirts spliced at the hips, pinstripe suits revamped with diamante detailing and cut into mini dresses and body-hugging mesh crop tops. Throughout the collection there is an ongoing dialogue: between tightness and fluidity, between sensuality and frivolity, between femininity and grit.
Dolphin motifs, a recognisable mainstay for anyone who grew up in the ‘90s, evoke that period’s sense of playfulness. Slinky dresses are adorned with seascape-inspired hardware, and crystal embellishments that sparkle like water. “Dolphin blue” is a key colour of the season, contrasted with citrus hues and unexpected shades of purple, chocolate, and petrol. And spiral shell shapes appear throughout the collection, be it literal accents on jewellery or abstract interpretations through circular cutting, gentle ruffles, and artful draping.

Makeup director Isabella Schimid for MECCA explained how the beauty leaned into this playful 90s nostalgia; “For Bec + Bridge our models are channelling the goddess of the sea, the dolphin. An effortless natural skin base using NARS and Charlotte Tilbury is complimented by hints of pastel blues and citrus hues, thanks to MECCA MAX on the eyes.”
Bec Cooper and Bridge Yorston explained the partnership between Bec + Bridge and MECCA as the perfect synergy. “We were thrilled to have the opportunity to work with MECCA on our High Summer 23/24 runway make up this year, we see the joining of our two brands at Fashion Week as a celebration and example of the fantastic brands and businesses that are proudly Australian. The look we created was a subtle nod to the 80s, with a contemporary use of products that included soft, dewy and natural skin with a pop of dolphin blue eyeshadow.”

Channel your 90s goddess of the sea to get the Bec + Bridge runway look with the following products:

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter
Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand in Spotlight
NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer
Mecca Max Zoom Liners in Baby Blue and Canary
Westman Atelier Lit Up Highlight Stick
GOOPGENES Clean Nourishing Lip Balm Trio